SBC News Voice of the Sports Betting Industry
The Senate for Buenos Aires, Argentina’s largest province is reported to be reviewing legalising online gambling activities.
The first set of proposals attached to Buenos Aires 2019 Budget has been put forward by BA Governor Maria Eugenia Vidal, seeking to revamp the province’s legislative gambling framework.
Argentine news sources report that BA’s governing Argentina PRO party (centrist-right) seeks to issue an initial seven online gambling licenses covering casino and sports wagering services.
The new legislation would introduce an online revenue tax of 15%, with PRO seeking to generate annual tax revenues of ARG_PESO 2 billion ($60 million).
At a land-based level, further Budget proposals see PRO move to introduce a new 2% tax on BA casino and bingo winnings.
Under Argentina’s constitutional framework, gambling laws are independently set by provincial jurisdictions, except for the National Lottery.
In its proposal, Argentina PRO specifies that the approved online gambling licensees servicing Buenos Aires will need to maintain a registered corporate presence within the province.
Governor Vidal’s proposal has surprised Argentine political commentators, who had marked BA’s executive as an anti-gambling proponent.
Vidal has defended her position on gambling, stating that she is no fan of arcade and bingo-halls targeting BA’s poorest suburbs. Furthermore, Vidal and PRO executives have long believed that legalising online gambling, is the logical way to protect Argentine consumers from bad actors.
